PITTSBURGH (AP) — A linguist from the University of Pittsburgh has published a paper deconstructing and deciphering the word “dude.”
Scott Kiesling said the four-letter word has many uses: in greetings (“What’s up, dude?”); as an exclamation (“Whoa, Dude!”); commiseration (“Dude, I’m so sorry.”); to one-up someone (“That’s so lame, dude.”); as well as agreement, surprise and disgust (“Dude.”).
Kiesling says that the word derives its power from something he calls cool solidarity — an effortless kinship that’s not too intimate.
Cool solidarity is especially important to young men who are under social pressure to be close with other young men, but not enough to be suspected as gay.
He found the word taps into nonconformity and a new American image of leisurely success.
Women sometimes call each other dudes.
Historically, dude originally meant “old rags” — a “dudesman” was a scarecrow. In the late 1800s, a “dude” was akin to a “dandy,” a meticulously dressed man, especially out West.
It was simply terrifying. Terrifying, but terrific. How would you feel if you had nothing to do but to think? How long do you think you can keep it up? When you have too much time to think, and nothing but to think, you can drive yourself nuts. You think about all kinds of things you've never thought about before. Joe knows the truth. He's the living of the dead, and dead of the living. He's on the borderline. He knows. He knows how horrible and gruesome war is. He knows that dying for principle isn't as glorious as it seems. He questions the whole purpose and reason of war. Terrifying truth. People don't want to see it. People don't want to hear it. They don't care because it does not directly concern them. Terrifying.
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